The popular show follows competitors through a series of challenging courses testing endurance, balance and upper body and grip strength.

Those who made it to the finals first jumped, swung, ran or otherwise made their way through the quintuple steps, the big dipper, the floating tiles, the modified ring toss, the bungee road and the warped wall in the qualifier.

Then, in the city finals, contestants again had to conquer the same obstacles, as well as an additional four: the salmon ladder, flying shelf grab, body prop and, finally, the invisible ladder.

In the end, only three contestants of more than 30 contestants actually completed the city finals course. Like Lappin, many found their demise on the body prop.

“Imagine putting your hands on one wall in a long hallway and your feet on the other and getting to the other end,” Lappin said. “I was pretty much shaking the whole time trying to get through that thing, and I wanted to get through it so bad.”

About halfway through, he fell; he wasn’t the first, and he wasn’t the last.

Finals

But, since 15 contestants emerge from each city finals episode for a trip to the finals, and only those who complete the course are guaranteed that trip, the remaining 12 from Monday’s show were drawn from those who covered the most distance in fastest time.

Lappin came in at No. 15 with a time of 4:04.9, and that was good enough for him. He’s going to Vegas.

“I’m super excited,” he said. “That was my goal.”

Lappin will join 99 other competitors from around the country who emerged from the city final rounds to move on to the national finals in Las Vegas. There, they’ll face what producers call a “stunning four-stage course modeled after the famed Mount Midoriyama course in Japan.”

The winner – if there is one – takes home $1 million. Although many have come close, no competitor in the show’s six-season run has been able to claim the prize.

The American Ninja Warrior National Finals are scheduled to air in September.